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Lifetimes of Love & Resilience in my 105-Year-Old Grandma, Katherine Young
How do you see yourself as a centenarian? My grandma, Katherine Young, lived to be 105 and was the oldest known internet user. She was still active on her keyboard until she was 103, when her vision declined so she could no longer see the screen, though her mind was still lucid and sharp all the way until her last days.
She was born in China in 1901, at a time when most females were not allowed to be educated.
This is her at 55 years old, along with my mom, May Young, in the upper left, and two of my aunts, all standing behind her. In Chinese culture, it is a customary sign of respect to have the elders seated in photos, with younger relatives standing.
Her father, my great-grandfather, believed in gender and racial equality. He and her eldest brother insisted she become educated. She graduated from university, where she also met the kindest man I have known, my grandfather, Timothy Young.
My grandma’s fluency in five languages — four Chinese dialects and English — was a saving grace during 20 years of war in China:
- Chinese Civil War
- Japanese Invasion
- World War II
- Communist takeover
